ANER

(Aʹner).

1. A Canaanite. He and his two brothers, Mamre the Amorite and Eshcol, were “confederates” (“allies,” AT; RS) of Abraham. (Ge 14:13) The word “confederates” is here translated from the Hebrew ba·ʽalehʹ verithʹ, which literally means “owners (masters) of a covenant”; but “confederate” is from the Latin confoederatus, meaning “united,” or “joined by a league,” and hence properly translates the idea, the word foedus occurring in Genesis 14:13 in the Latin Vulgate. As to the terms of this agreement between these three brothers and Abraham, little indication is given in the record as to whether it was one of mutual defense against their warlike neighbors or simply one of peaceful coexistence. When Abraham’s nephew Lot was taken captive by a league of kings, this confederacy saw action, as Aner with his brothers accompanied Abraham and his 318 trained servants from the big trees of Mamre (where Abraham was tenting) up to Dan, about 200 km (120 mi) to the NNE, and then on beyond Damascus. After the victory, Abraham refused any part of the spoil but saw to it that the three confederates were given a share for honoring this “confederacy.”​—Ge 14:24; see ALLIANCE.

2. A town of the territory of Manasseh given to the families of the sons of Kohath. (1Ch 6:70; Jos 21:26) Some scholars believe it is the same as Taanach at Joshua 21:25.​—See TAANACH.